Fault Lines
by Gerudo Poltergeist
Summary: Wandering the desert in exile, Link is found unconscious by a Gerudo man. Knowing that Hyrule is in imminent danger, Link must train with this stranger and settle a brewing civil war that threatens to tear apart the land he had once saved. Book one of three.


Chapter One - Prologue

The dull pings of clashing steel resonated throughout the stone cavern as two figures danced in the dim light of a lit torch. One figure, a much taller and broader man with a mane of red hair that shone like heated iron, swung his arms with the force of a feral lion. His opponent, though lacking in physical demeanor, was an agile combatant more than capable of dodging the incoming attacks. The larger man was relentless and delivered continuous blows so that his opponent had no chance to counter attack. This pattern kept until the agile fighter saw an opening in the large man's offense, a momentary pause between attacks either caused by lethargy or pity, and swiped his blade obliquely against thick steel armor.

The larger man stumbled back. The attack left his armor undamaged, but the blow carried enough force to leave even a man of his girth breathless. He then breathed in and let out a heavy, bass-laden sigh, digging his broadsword into the dirt. His mouth twisted into a smile, and though he was loathed to admit it, he knew when he was at his limit. He held up his hand in an open palm gesture to the other fighter and nodded his head to show that the fight was now finished.

"You have learned quickly, Link," he said. "I can understand why the powerful have grown to fear you."

Link, his arms numb from exhaustion, nearly dropped his sword at the gesture, but had enough control over himself to sheathe his blade. His face remained calm, almost stoically unimpressed. It was the face of someone who had grown apathetic towards praise, and yet inside he appreciated his mentor's words. With their training over, he leaned against a large stone and rested.

His mentor grabbed the torch from its sconce and held it up high so that the cave was illuminated from its center. He eyed the flames and how they moved for several seconds and then lowered the torch to a comfortable level in front of him. "The wind has died down. We should move quickly, before another sandstorm traps us inside of these unmarked graves. Rel'Aquesh is only a day's way east. There, we can truly begin your training."

Link's ears perked up when his mentor mentioned training, and he cracked a half-smile. "Really?" he began with an eager tone, though he quickly subdued himself. "So what kind of city is Rel'Aquesh?"

"It differs greatly from the small traveling caravans that you have seen so far. The people are safer from outside danger, and the people can pursue many different life paths than when traveling. However, whereas the people in your Hylian cities grow soft with food and drink, the Gerudo are at their strictest in the cities. The caravans live a much harder life and we believe in survival above all else; we are strict because we must be. The city-dwellers are strict because they believe they _should_ be.

"There are many unspoken rules in the city. I will teach you them as we travel. I do not expect you to follow them perfectly, nor would they, as you are not a Gerudo, but you will be expected to learn. The people are not kind to outsiders. They will act coldly towards you. They may even threaten you. They will not harm you. Above all else, they will not steal from you. Those acts are left to the caravans and are looked down upon in Rel'Aquesh."

He motioned towards the cave entrance, a small crevice built by nature in the side of a sandy plateau. There were many just like it in the desert, and this was not the first that the two had taken shelter in. Link backed away from the stone he had been leaning on and walked to the entrance. They had been practicing for what felt like hours, and he wasn't sure that his body could handle traveling so soon after, but he had been assured already that this regimen of theirs would keep his body strong. Link let out a quiet groan as his arms grew sore.

"If this is the best Hyrule has to offer, it is no wonder so few men dare enter the desert." Link heard the laugh behind him and paid it no mind. This wasn't the first time that his mentor jabbed him, but he had little energy to spare a retort or even a laugh of his own. "You will need more strength to travel. Eat."

Link wasted no time in listening to that advice and reached into his belt for something he could eat quickly. He ran out of his own food days past, but had been learning to search for food in the desert. Dried meats, nuts, any meager meal he could scrounge up from these limited resources. He took out the dried leever they had prepared earlier. It was a bitter food, something he was still not accustomed to, but he scarfed it down all the same. He was never a picky eater.

A day's worth of traveling. They emerged to the early dawn's light, a red-orange blanket cascading the sky with its warmth. The desert was notoriously cold at night, and it was still brisk as they started their journey. It would become unbearably hot within a matter of hours, and Link dreaded that heat more than anything.

The two traveled quietly for a time, allowing Link to adjust to the temperature, but it wasn't long before his mentor started drilling his head with all the etiquette he was expected to learn about Gerudo life. Even if mistakes were expected, with so many rules and obligations it seemed almost insane that he could do anything but make them. He kept mental notes on what he felt was the most important and prayed to the three Goddesses that he remembered the correct information.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, Link guarded his face jealously with the tattered hood that he was provided with. It was only a basic provision, something he would need to replace when they finally arrived at the Gerudo settlement. The wind picked up and by divine luck it was at their back, howling for them to reach their destination with haste it seemed.

Link took note of his mentor as the two of them steadily progressed, carefully mirroring his posture and speed. Whatever advantages he had growing up in this desert, Link could mimic them with some measure of skill and perhaps be better equipped for this climate.

Walking like this for hours was tiring, topping off the training they had gone through earlier. Link couldn't help but constantly remind himself of how tired his body was. His body was burning on the outside and the inside; it screamed out for him to stop, but he drowned out these innate desires with promises of future rest. Rest that would rival his bed back home in Kokiri.

If it was folly for him to think of his home at this point in time, then he was guilty enough for an execution. He had been away from his home for over two weeks, he thought, or maybe three. He lost count days ago when he entered the desert. Memories swelled inside of him of the straw bed by the stables. He slept there so often that the other villagers began to think of the stables as his home more than his actual shack of a house. It was cozy and warm, at least in the summer, and the horses were good company.

"Are you paying attention, boy?"

"Yeah," Link responded meekly, mentally chiding himself for getting lost in thought again. "Just taking in the sights." He swore he heard a quiet laugh from ahead. The barren desert held few sights to behold. "So, I haven't asked about this, but I'm kind of curious," Link began, quickening his pace so that he walking beside the larger, Gerudo man. "You've mentioned before that there aren't many Gerudo men. Why is that?"

There was silence for a moment, and then: "That is a very long story, boy, and it spans the history of the land itself. There may be some scholar in Rel'Aquesh who knows better than I, but I will tell you what my tribe told me when I was young."


End file.
